PAIN SCALES
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McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ)
The McGill Pain Questionnaire is a comprehensive tool designed to measure the quality and intensity of a patient’s pain experience. It’s often used for chronic pain but can be applied to various types of pain to get a detailed understanding of both the sensory and emotional dimensions of pain.
What is the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ)?
The MPQ is a multidimensional tool that goes beyond rating pain intensity. It assesses:
1. Sensory Pain: Descriptions of the pain's physical qualities (e.g., sharp, burning, throbbing).
2. Affective Pain: Emotional responses to the pain (e.g., tiring, exhausting, punishing).
3. Evaluative Pain: Overall subjective intensity or unpleasantness.
4. Miscellaneous Descriptors: Includes terms like "cold" or "tight".
How to Administer the MPQ
1. The MPQ contains a list of 78 descriptors divided into 20 categories. The patient selects the words that best describe the pain. Each category represents a different dimension of pain (e.g., throbbing, burning, or stabbing).
2. Select one word from each category that best describes the pain. The words are ranked by severity, so the chosen word will have a corresponding score based on its intensity.
3. Total Pain Rating Index (PRI): This score is calculated by summing the rank values of the words chosen from each category. The higher the score, the more intense or complex the pain.
4. Visual Analog Scale (Optional): Some versions of the MPQ include a VAS, where patients can mark a point on a line to represent the intensity of their pain.
How to Interpret the Scores
• Pain Rating Index (PRI): The higher the PRI score, the more severe or multidimensional the patient's pain experience is. This score provides insight into the sensory and emotional aspects of the pain.
• Number of Words Chosen (NWC): A large number of chosen words could indicate complex or poorly managed pain.
• Pain Intensity: If the patient selects descriptors from the higher severity range, this indicates more intense pain.
By interpreting the MPQ scores, you gain a comprehensive understanding of both the intensity and nature of the pain, which helps in formulating an appropriate treatment plan.
